Varney was the captain of the Windtoss during the Sixth Pass.
The Windtoss was the ship which brought the feline that caused the flu plague to the Northern Continent. Even though seamen from Igen Sea Hold were originally said to have found a feline beast adrift in the Great Current, clinging to a floating tree, it turned out that there was no floating animal. Instead, the log of the Windtoss showed that the ship was blown off course by a squall and, even though Captain Varney knew that they were not supposed to do so, they landed on the Southern Continent, where they remained for three days, while they jury-rigged repairs to the sloop after it was damaged by the storm. While there, some of the men captured a feline and brought it back to the Northern Continent. When the feline appeared to be quite healthy, they decided to show it off. Varney later died from the plague carried by the creature.